Today I have “a word from my Sponsor” for you.  There are times the Lord instructs me to remind people of the “basics”.  Sometimes in our quest to be so “mature” and “on the leading edge of the newest revelation” as Christians, we end up being ineffective because we have lost sight of our roots and purpose.  You might say we have failed to keep the main thing, the main thing.      Have you ever noticed how criminal lawyers try to make their client look innocent, even if they have murdered someone in cold blood?  Some will go as far as to try to get you to believe the killer is the victim, and the dead person is to blame for the crime.  Or maybe they will try to get you to believe there was no crime committed at all.  Men can try to justify their actions by making the excuse that times have changed, society has changed, and things are not like they were a generation ago.  Oh, is that right?  Seems to me this is exactly the excuse the last generation made, too, and every one before that.  Even the Old Testament tells us how people were then, is just like they are now.

     God tells us in His word what is right and wrong, and we still try to sugar-coat sin to make it appear not to be sin.  Well, a rotten egg with a beautifully colored shell is still a rotten egg.  And sin, no matter how pretty you paint it, still pays the same wages; death.

       How long has it been since you heard a sermon that strongly came against sin?  Been a while, you say?  Why?  Well, mostly because the churches have become “seeker friendly”, and quit preaching against sin because it makes people uncomfortable.  And if they are not comfortable in your church, they won’t be back.  And if they don’t come back, they won’t bring their money.  Get the idea?  I do.  “Oh, Brother Jerry, you can’t come down hard against sin, because we’re trying to draw people into the church to minister to them.  And if you turn the heat up too high, they will leave and not come back.” 

    No, let me tell you how it is…you’re trying to bring the sinners into church to make them nice and comfy so they will come and stay, and bring their money and give it to you.  That’s how it is.  Prove me wrong, and I’ll retract that.  Show me a church that loves God, and cares about the souls of the people, and I’ll show you a church that comes down hard against sin.   There is absolutely no excuse for someone to live in sin, when Jesus loves them, and has paid the price for their forgiveness.  And if we’re not telling them so, we are doing them a terrible injustice, even if it makes them squirm in their seat to hear how Jesus’ blood was shed for them.  Maybe we even need to turn off the air conditioning in the church, and say, “You think it’s hot HERE???”

      I ministered in a church once where I knew this lady was shacking up with her boyfriend, and told her to move out of his house so God could help her get her life right.  The Pastor said, “Brother Jerry, if she moves out of his house, she will be homeless and will not have his car to drive to church, and we will not be able to continue ministering to her.” She had been going there for a couple years, bringing her offerings and tithes.   During all this time her heart had not once been convicted to repent.  Why not?  Because she wasn’t being told the truth!  She had been told in so many words, that it is OK to live in fornication and be a Christian. Well, it’s not!  Never has been, and never will be!

            If the churches are really trying to minister to sinners, they will warn them about the wages of sin, which is death.  They will warn them, STOP LIVING IN SIN!  They will tell them, REPENT and get your life right with Jesus!  You don’t save a person who is dying from daily being fed rat poison by putting the rat poison on a prettier plate!  NO!! You must get them to stop eating the poison, and right now! 

            The Prophet Isaiah had something to say about that situation in Isaiah 5:20-24;        

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

            All through the Bible, sin is exposed for what it is; deception that leads to death.  God pleads with us to repent from sin, because it kills us!  God wants us to have life, and have it more abundantly.  Meanwhile, the devil tells us that the only way to have a more abundant life is to live in sin.  Live it up!  Do it your way!  If it feels good, do it!  It’s your right!  Besides, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and sometimes you have to cheat to get ahead! 

     Sadly, “live it up”, and “Bless me!  Bless me!  Bless me! has become the cry of the church. Yes, the Bible tells us of the blessings God wants to shower us with, but we must repent of our sins, and abandon them.  Too much emphasis is put on satisfying the flesh.  That’s why we have such nice comfy seats in our air-conditioned churches. 

         Ezekiel 18:23-32 says,

 

Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.  Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal.  Hear now, O house of Israel; is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal.  O house of Israel, are not may ways equal? are not your ways unequal?  Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD.  Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit:  for why will ye die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.  

            Which would suit you better; for me to tell you that God excuses sin because He knows your heart, and the way things are in society these days, so that you end up being rejected by Him, and sent to the lake of fire, or for me to warn you to repent of your sins before Almighty God, and in the end He says, Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord? 

            Remember, all through the Bible, God tells us exactly what will happen according to the choices we make; live in sin, refusing to repent, results in eternal damnation.  But he or she who repents shall be saved, and have everlasting life.  Think about it.  Then do something about it because it’s YOUR soul, and you want to take care of it.

            If you have repented of your sins and are living right before God, GOOD!  I thank God for that.  Now, go warn someone else to do the same before they die in their sins.   

One who truly loves God, loves the soul of the sinner, enough to warn them to turn from their sin and be saved. 

Thank you for listening to “a word from my Sponsor”.